Jajpur, June 30: More than five years after the sensational murder of Ramadevi Women's University student Jharaphul Nayak, the Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADJ) Court in Jajpur on Monday pronounced its verdict, sentencing the prime accused, Rakesh Swain, to life imprisonment.
The court also imposed a fine of ₹1 lakh on Rakesh, who was found guilty of murdering Jharaphul. His associate, Amaresh Raut, was sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment for assisting in the crime and destroying evidence.
According to the prosecution, Jharaphul had travelled to Bhubaneswar on January 24, 2021, to stay with her local guardian. On January 26, while returning to her native village, Brundeiposi in Mayurbhanj district, she contacted Rakesh Swain to recover money she had earlier lent him. Rakesh allegedly persuaded her to meet him on the pretext of returning the money and took her to a hotel in Bhubaneswar.
Investigators said Rakesh later murdered Jharaphul and, with the help of Amaresh, transported her body on a scooter before dumping it by the roadside near Rajendrapur under Kuakhia police station in Jajpur district.
The case had sparked widespread outrage across Odisha in 2021, with demands for swift justice. Delivering the long-awaited judgment, the Jajpur ADJ Court convicted Rakesh of murder and sentenced him to life imprisonment, while Amaresh was convicted for aiding the crime and destroying evidence.
